Transgenders can continue serving the military for now, top United States general says

The letter was written in response to a plan introduced by Trump via Twitter on Wednesday, in which he wrote that "the United States government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military", citing "tremendous costs and disruption". And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who chairs the Senate's Armed Services Committee, has said that Defense Secretary James Mattis was "surprised" by the announcement.

The Navy's guidance, which came in an email from Vice Adm. Robert Burke, also acknowledges that Trump's announcement is "causing concern for some of our sailors and that they likely have questions".

She's with me to talk about her experience and her reaction to President Trump's tweet. He said he tries to be tough about the announcement, but it breaks his spirit.

"Today, our Commander-in-Chief told Americans they can not serve and sacrifice for their country because of who they are", Wolf commented. One day later, there has been no formal policy guidance issued from the White House about reversing the policy that started past year under the Obama administration to allow transgender troops to serve openly. There may be as many as 6,600 transgender troops on the military's active duty force of 1.3 million, according to a RAND Corp. report.

Yet any saving Trump hoped to achieve by denying transgender troops medical care will be overshadowed by the cost of replacing them.

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and can not be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail".

"There are over 15,000 transgender individuals risking their lives every day to serve our country". Amanda Brewer of Virginia is anxious that the military's health care system will cut coverage of her daughter's treatment, which was included only after the policy welcoming transgender troops was announced a year ago. But Mattis would not promise to rescind the Obama-era policy, Hartlzer said, so she made a decision to move forward.

"You are talking about potentially billions of dollars", Beck said. "We should not deprive these individuals of the opportunity to serve their country, nor should we deprive the country of their talents and dedication", he said.

At a press conference on New York's Long Island Wednesday afternoon, Joanne Borden, a transgender woman who is a veteran of World War II, said she knew other transgender women who served in Korea and Vietnam.

"When I was in you couldn't, you weren't allowed to be gay, trans, or anything, you couldn't be out", said Walker a transgender Army veteran.

House conservatives were trying to avoid a roll-call vote, too, pushing leadership to add the amendment banning medical expenses for trans service members as a "self-executing" provision to the House Rule for the security bill, which would have avoided a specific vote, according to a senior GOP aide.

"They are already disproportionately represented in populations that have suicide idolization", Schnell said.